BOOK REVIEW-SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.  

(The synopsis copied from Goodreads)
Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart

This was a good read. I liked it. I didn't love it. Leigh's writing is very easy and quick to read. The story is very engaging. This was a very Russian inspired book. A lot of Russian names for the characters and the places in the novel. I won't try to repeat any of the Russian terms. I liked the whole idea of the different Summoners and the Darkling(who is not who he seems.  His name is the DARKLING).

I don't care too much about the love triangle (I'm kind of over love triangles.). There wasn't as much action as I would have liked. The end was predictable, I wasn't surprised by it. But it definitely wasn't bad.
I would read the second because the story does have a lot of promise and I love Leigh's easy writing.

So I Say. GIVE IT A TRY!